Intentional

I know two couples. Both have been married for a long time. Both have several kids. Both seem “successful”. One couple is happily married, and serving the Lord. The other couple is just surviving. I asked the thriving couple what their secret was…one word: intentional. They decided to be intentional about investing in their relationship with the Lord, their relationship with each other, their relationship with their kids, and their ministry…IN THAT ORDER!

Consider the following passage from Luke 10:

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

What was the “one thing” that Mary and Martha needed? Time with Jesus! As moms, we often become distracted and upset by “so many things”. Afterall, being a mom is hard work and requires round the clock service. On top of that, there are so many hats that we often wear: bible study leader, organizer, blog writer, PTA person, soccer mom, room mom, foster parent, child care worker, etc. There are so many needs all around us. Sometimes, however, we need to STOP and ask ourselves a few questions: What does God want us to do now, what can wait for later, what am I supposed to do, and what should be left for someone else to do?

I found that as moms, we tend to recognize what “needs” to be done, yet we often make the Martha mistake…we jump to get things done, but forget to stop long enough to let the Holy Spirit lead us. Sometimes we assume that just because we see a need that we are the ones who are supposed to meet that need (in the church, for a friend, etc.).

I am NOT suggesting that we ignore the needs of the church, of our friends, etc. I am suggesting that we filter all of our great ideas through the Holy Spirit first. If not, we run the risk of neglecting things that are supposed to be our top priorities (time with the Lord, our husbands, our children, etc.). Have you ever seen a pastor get so involved in the ministry of the church that his family suffers? He is doing great things, but maybe in his timing and not the Lord’s.

We have to be intentional about keeping our priorities straight. We have to be intentional enough to think and pray before we say “yes”. We can include our families in our service/outreach endeavors (i.e. soup kitchens, service projects, hospital visits, etc.), and thus be a family on mission to share the love of Christ.

At the same time, sometimes we need to be wise enough to say “no” to doing the event or project ourselves, but intentional enough to pray for the person God would call to meet that need. God never intended for us to run around being so “busy” that we can’t hear him speaking to us. On the contrary, that is a trick the enemy often plays on us.

Fellow mom, I want to encourage you to be intentional in carving out time with the Lord, your hubby, and your family. Be a family on mission to share the love of Christ. Prayerfully consider the ministry opportunities before you. Don’t be too quick to say “yes” to everything, but let the Holy Spirit be your guide. Sometimes it isn’t that we are called to do more, but that God  is calling us to be more intentional about the people/things he has already entrusted us with. On the other hand, God may be calling you to something new. Either way, let the Holy Spirit be your guide, commit your plans to Him, and be intentional.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for making us in your image; for leaving your imprint on us…an imprint only you can fill. Lord, we desire to be like Mary and sit at your feet. We don’t want to be so distracted and worried about so many things that we forget the “one thing” that is needed. Help us to be intentional about our time with you, our relationship with our husband, our time with our kids, and our ministry involvement. We pray that your Holy Spirit would teach us things that we do not know so that we can make the choices that are honoring to you and best for our family. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.